


Les Innocents

by melanie1982



Category: Ever After (1998)
Genre: Dark, Death, F/F, F/M, Multi, Redemption, Sequel, Why do I do this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 11:44:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14976482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanie1982/pseuds/melanie1982
Summary: A figure from the past returns..How will Danielle respond to this test of her moral fortitude?Follows on from 'Never After'Still in progress as of 6/19/2018





	1. Chapter 1

Danielle enjoyed Jacqueline's company. In fact, with Henry gone, Danielle was free to enjoy anyone's company she chose, though her royal advisors often had fits over what they saw as her recklessness. Jacqueline had been the only one to show her even a kernel of kindness in her former life, and the Queen delighted in repaying her.

It was an especially happy occasion on which to spoil her stepsister, as Jacqueline and Laurent had recently learned they were to be parents. A stroll through the seaside market made for a pleasant form of gentle exercise, with Danielle and Jacqueline flanked by several guards (Laurent being, understandably, the most attentive).

Jacqueline was busy admiring a bolt of soft fabric, dreaming of the darling garments she could make from it for the baby, when a horrifying sound emanated from one of the nearby docks. It was like the braying of a dying beast of burden, but with a distinctly feminine quality. Danielle felt a chill, but chose to try to ignore it, opting instead to peruse the wares along with her dear companion. A small crowd had gathered to witness the source of the noise, and the guards deemed it best for the lady to pay for her purchase and for the party to move along. Luncheon would be waiting at the castle, and Jacqueline's ever-robust appetite had only increased with her condition.

Still, the sound and the accompanying unease tugged at a corner of Danielle's mind, and she found her concentration wandering during the meal, spoiling her appetite. After a concerned Jacqueline had departed, Danielle squared up to face those subjects awaiting an audience with her. This privilege was by appointment only, and was reserved for (in theory) only the gravest of matters - but that day would bring several trivial matters, neighbor feuds, and the ever-determined pleas for the aid of the royal coffers.

The matters had largely been settled, and the parties (some happy, some grumbling) had been dismissed, when suddenly there was a commotion just beyond the doors. The Queen heard the shout of the guards, ordering an interloper to stop - and then that wretched half-howl, half-groan eclipsed all other sound.

Danielle rose to her feet, issuing a command to admit the visitor. Her right-hand man, Renoir, objected most strongly, but Danielle wanted - needed - to face whoever this tortured soul happened to be.

The doors opened, and in stumbled a woman in filthy rags, with matted hair which could perhaps once have been called blonde. She fell prostrate - or as near as she could get, given the swell of her belly - and begged in a hoarse, broken voice:

"Take pity on me in my affliction, Majesty, and let me stay within the kingdom until my child is delivered."

Two guards kept their spears trained on the petitioner, ready to intervene should she make any sudden rush towards the Queen, but upon speaking her piece, the woman fainted dead away.

Upon the visitor being rolled over, Danielle discovered that it was none other than Marguerite.

The shock of it dissipated as the Queen recalled the letter, now destroyed, sent by this very same woman, begging to be allowed to return. That had been well over a year ago; Marguerite had pled her belly then, but this couldn't possibly be the same pregnancy. None of this made sense.

Thinking quickly, Danielle ordered for the visitor to be taken to the tower and kept under guard. She knew she had a moral duty to offer medical aid, at least until her former stepsister had recovered consciousness - but what then? This was the woman whom had delighted in her misery, whom had inflicted emotional torture and bodily injury upon Danielle, and who would have usurped her position as Henry's favorite, had it been within her power.

Why was she here? Whose child was she carrying? And what had happened to her since sending the missive?

This matter would require sound advice. Danielle would consult with her lovers, Gustave and Elise, and the three of them would make a decision, together.


	2. Chapter 2

Marguerite had been examined as she'd drifted in and out of consciousness, and the royal physicians had determined that her affliction was most likely not contagious - but they still advised the Queen to stay away for a period of time, just to be sure.

Danielle had received updates throughout the night, in between discussions with Gustave and Elise.

"What am I to do? She deserves nothing from me, but her child - her child is innocent.."

Elise, a mother herself, had pity for Marguerite's plight, but she also worried for Danielle's mental state.

Gustave was less forgiving, though he, too, felt it was best to show some leniency, out of an objective moral duty, if not a personal or familial one.

A few hours of fitful sleep passed, and at first light, in the face of her advisors' great apprehension, the Queen paid a visit to her captive.

Marguerite stared, and the glittering cruelty in her eyes gave way to resignation. She bowed her head, unable to offer a curtsey from her prone position.

"Your Majesty."

Danielle felt fear rise in her throat like bile, but swallowed it down. The guards were near, and Marguerite was in no condition to do her physical harm. "Marguerite.. Why have you come? You have no family left here, no home; I don't understand any of this."

Marguerite swallowed hard before speaking. "I had to come. I had nowhere else to go. I wanted to die where I was born.."

Danielle was confused. "The doctors say you show no sign of fever. Why should you die?"

She smiled, though it seemed.. off. "The child I carried when I wrote to you.. He died. Well, never lived. He barely moved inside me, and when he was born, it was apparent that he had been dead for some time. The fever weakened me, but when I recovered, I knew I had to find a way to come back. I had to die in France, Dani - Majesty."

Marguerite blushed at her mistake.

"What of Rodmilla? Why couldn't she - "

"Dead," Marguerite said, coldly, and offered nothing more.

"I see." Danielle would not offer the lie that she was sorry to hear it.

"Please, Majesty, let me stay here as your prisoner until the baby is born. Then let me die here. An unmarked grave, even in a dark, dreary spot, would be so much more than I could have had there.."

Danielle broached the subject delicately, but with resolve. "And what of the child's father?"

Marguerite began to laugh, an awful, hollow bark of a sound, and Danielle feared she had lost her senses entirely. "Oh, Majesty. You can't imagine.. You see, my destitution in the new world required me to sell my.. services to anyone with the money to pay for them. Why, even my passage to France was bartered for using my body. For all I know, this child is the result of that.. transaction. Of course, it's difficult to say which was seasickness and which was motherly heaving. It could be one of the crewmen's, or the cook's, or any number of able-bodied men who used me with or without paying; it was a long voyage."

Danielle was horrified to the bones.

"So you don't even know how far along.."

Marguerite shrugged. "It's of little consequence; I won't live to raise the child. Perhaps they won't, either. Either way, I only need your permission to remain until I am dead." She seemed to drift off for a moment, looking into a vision of the future which Danielle could not see. "Perhaps it would amuse you to have me stuffed? Kept as a trophy of your triumph over me? Whatever is your Majesty's pleasure."

"Marguerite, I.."

The guards frowned, shaking their heads.

"I'll consider your request, Marguerite. I can't promise you.."

Marguerite gave a wave, a flutter of the hand. "It's more than I deserve. Just to be in France again, even in chains, is more than I could have believed possible."

Danielle noticed then that there were, indeed, chains binding Marguerite to the bed. One sat above her bump beneath the thin blanket, while the other lay across her hips. 

"Rest now. I'll visit you again when I've made my decision."

In a moment, the woman was asleep, and Danielle had to slow her steps so as not to trip on the descent from the tower.


	3. Chapter 3

Danielle stayed away for three weeks. The visit had been too much, the pain of her past too raw, and she feared what she might say or do in a rush of emotion, whether kind or cruel.

Jacqueline bloomed, and the Queen thought of how opposite the sisters' circumstances were. The one had a loving, loyal husband who so wanted to be a father, while the other had known only abuse and degradation. Danielle had wrestled with how to break the news to her friend, swearing Gustav and Elise to secrecy. Only four guards knew the identity of the captive, and they were forbidden from sharing any information with Laurent.

Finally, as another weary afternoon of hearing subjects' petitions drew to a close, Danielle had made up her mind.

In the middle of evening meal, a messenger had been admitted to the dining hall, and Danielle's blood had run cold.

"Majesty,

The prisoner is nigh unto delivering her child. The physicians have been summoned, as well as the midwife; please advise."

Danielle had slopped her soup in her haste to depart, and Jacqueline, momentarily forgotten, had struggled to rise. "What is it? An attack?" A pause. "Is it Laurent?"

Danielle had turned back to face her friend. "Jacqueline, there is.. something I haven't told you. I.. Do you recall that day in the market, down by the shore? That terrible noise we heard?"

Jacqui's mind raced, trying to puzzle out what came next. "Y-yes. What of it, Majesty?"

Danielle felt a tear slip out, unbidden. "The beast in anguish.. was, and is, your sister, Marguerite."

Jacqueline felt faint, gripping the chair-back until her knuckles blanched. "Marguerite?"

Danielle took a step towards her friend. "I didn't want to upset you in your condition, but the time has come for her to deliver. I must go to her."

This was so much to take in at once, but Jacqueline made a decision. "I must go with you. Please, Majesty."

The guards were waiting, and the women were escorted to the tower, hampered by Jacqueline's gait.

\----------

They found the scene was more dire than the message had told. Marguerite was panting, pouring with sweat, and begging for mercy.

"Majesty.. ohhhhhh!!!"

The midwife looked frightened, and Danielle knew that wasn't a good sign. The Queen pulled her aside for a frank discussion.

"What news?"

"She's been laboring for hours, Majesty, but the baby's hardly moved down. The waters've broke, and that means she must deliver, and soon, or the baby won't make it."

Danielle took a deep breath. "How did they look to you?"

The midwife pursed her lips. "Dark. Bloodied, but old blood. That's an ill omen, Majesty."

They should've been clear, Danielle thought, like hers were, and Elise's..

Jacqueline grasped Marguerite by the hand, but the laboring woman shouted out for her to let go.

"Release me; I'm not ready to die. I must deliver the child, and then.. aaargh!!!"

"Marguerite, it's me! It's your sister! I'm not a ghost; I'm not here to - "

Realizing it was her own flesh-and-blood sibling, and not a hellish vision, Marguerite sighed. "I have no claim to you, sister. So pure; so good.. nnngrhhh!"

"Shh, shh, don't talk like that. You must think well, or the labor will go harder." Jacqueline looked to Danielle, who nodded.

"Yes, Marguerite. You must.. you must imagine the best outcome."

The expectant groaned. "The best outcome is for the child to live, and for its mother to die."

The midwife tutted, busying herself by wringing out a cloth upon which Marguerite could bite down.

"Jacqui.. oh, Jacqui.. You're - you're - "

Jacqueline rested her free hand upon her belly. "Yes. With Laurent."

Her sister looked relieved. "Oh, how lovely for you. You found your prince. .. You shall have a good child, an easy birth. A girl.."

Her words were cut short by another groan, the midwife urging her to bite the cloth, Marguerite cursing it and herself as she pushed.

"Just let this child be out, and let me die!"

Danielle wished, not for the first time, that Signor DaVinci was available to help her. Perhaps something he had written would be of use?

After instructing one of the guards, Danielle took Marguerite's other hand. "Push, as hard as you can. Push with all your strength, Marguerite."

She finally accepted the rag, much to the midwife's relief. The physicians, who had been consulting in the stairwell, re-entered the chamber.

The guard returned from his mission, and Danielle donned gloves and began to prepare a mixture of herbs under Jacqueline's fascinated watch.

When the observer saw what one of the plants was, her eyes grew wide.

"Majesty?"

Shortly, Danielle held within her hands two sachets: one to relieve birth-pain and help dilate the cervix; the other, to ease the passage of the living into death.


	4. Chapter 4

Marguerite labored, growing ever weaker. Jacqueline had to accept Danielle's plan, regardless of the outcome.

"Promise me, Jacqui. Promise me.."

"What is it?"

"Promise you don't hate me, and promise that, if the child lives, you will help care for it. Promise me.."

"You'll be fine. Just a bit longer." A feeble lie.

"No. No. I won't. Please, promise me.."

Jacqui looked to Danielle, then to the midwife. Their faces were somber. "I.. I will. I swear it. Now, PUSH."

Marguerite summoned strength, bearing down, and the baby moved slightly closer to emerging.

"I.. I have made my peace with you. Sister.. Go. And thank you."

Jacqueline took her leave, and Danielle was relieved for her.

The sachets had steeped, one cup on the right, the other on the left. Marguerite eyed them greedily.

"Majesty.. please.. if you have anything for the pain.."

Danielle raised the cup on the right to Marguerite's lips. Within minutes, the shouts were dulled to whimpers and groans, though the mother's mood had not been buoyed.

The Queen made a decision to send everyone else out. They left - under protest, of course.

"Marguerite.. listen to me. You're almost there. If you can just push a little harder.."

"Damn it, Majesty, I've been through this once. I know this time is the death of me." A pause. "Do you deny it?"

Danielle said nothing. Only a miracle would save the woman; she'd lost so much blood, it was a wonder she was still conscious. 

"The doctors have said they will cut you open unless - "

"Then let them, Majesty. Tell them to cut me in two; only, let there be an end to this."

Danielle conceded, and the physicians returned and made the incision. Marguerite had drifted into a semi-coma from exhaustion and the tea. Soon after, a child emerged, tugged free by the doctor.

He was small, but perfectly formed, and Danielle instinctively ached to hold him, watching the surgeon settle him on his mother's chest.

"Marguerite.. You have a son. You have a son, Marguerite!"

"Oh.. Danielle. He's.." She struggled to take him in. "Is he?.."

The infant let out a muted cry, showing that he was, at least for now, breathing.

Mother whispered, "A fighter, eh? Perhaps.. he'll make it.. after all."

Marguerite closed her eyes for a beat too long, causing Danielle's heart to skip.

"Danielle.. take him.. take him quickly.."

Danielle cradled him, maneuvering him while one of the physicians wrapped a clean blanket around him and the other stitched up the mother. Marguerite swallowed with difficulty, her breaths long and shaky after her ordeal.

"It's only the afterbirth; it's nothing compared to - "

Marguerite frowned, and the Queen said no more, simply watching. 

The stitches were done in haste, and the physicians were dismissed. Despite the wound being closed, the mother continued to bleed from her sex. 

"Danielle.. have mercy.. so good to let me stay, and now he shall live.. but as for me.." 

The Queen faltered. Marguerite was close to death, but still suffering; should she - ?

"Oh, Majesty.. dear little Cinder-girl.. one last favor, such a small thing. The tea; is it.. Will it help the pain?" She knew. The woman had been begging for death; she embraced it. 

Danielle looked at the baby, wondering what his fate would be. With her still-gloved hand, she brought the cup to the waiting woman, helping her sip. 

"Be well, Marguerite. Be well." 

After so much, Marguerite would get her wish: to die in France. No more humiliation; no more abuse.. 

"Yes.. well. I will." She licked her lips. "How curious.." Danielle echoed Jacqueline's promise to care for the baby, and Marguerite grew quiet and still for several moments, before murmuring, "My salvation.." After this, she said no more. The blue eyes were closed as if in sleep, and the hand resting upon the now-empty abdomen did not move. All worry and pain had been wiped from her visage, and Danielle felt a shift in the room, a rush of life-force, much as when Henry had departed. 

After opening the window in that cramped and dreary space, she felt the presence dissipate, and Danielle breathed easier. The night was full of stars, and to them she added her words once again: "Be well." 

Jacqueline had seen what petals had been added to the tea on the left, and had said nothing. The Queen hoped her friend would bear her no ill will for administering it, but, truly, it was the kindest course of action under the circumstances. 

"Well, little one, I suppose you ought to have a name." 

The Queen now faced the first of many new decisions, the child's name being but one of them.


End file.
